3 Quick Hits: Portland Trail Blazers Summer

This is a new series we will be starting where every Monday we will post 3 quick hits about a topic of the PNW teams we cover.

It could range from today the Blazers to the Hillsboro Hops. To 3 “sports” talk radio hosts that suck. Who knows. All we know is Chad Doing is the best post-game sports radio host every to grace planet earth.

Today it’s the team that ripped our hearts out. Got us pumped. Then went on vacation. Don’t know if we can even call it a “no-show” that sounds generous. What the heck happened to the Portland Trail Blazers??? Well a lot of people have written about it. But we are here to hit the “burning” topic of summer with this team…

Draft Night and Neil. What in the heck will Portland do come draft night? Will Neil Olshey be off picking daisies like Meyers Leonard? Or fir trees like Lillard for our foundation? Or will Neil be picking nothing but his buyout of his contract? The Blazers have the 24th pick this summer, 24th picks of past years for teams include:

-Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (yeah exactly)

-Tyus Jones

-Shabazz Napier

-Tim Hardaway Jr.

-Reggie Jackson

-Serge Ibaka

-Rudy Fernandez

-Brian Cook

So as you can see let’s just call it unknown. Now Neil has discussed a lot of “options” for this team that include draft picks and trades…NOT FREE AGENCY.

But how can you talk about free agency when you have the most incredible track record in free agency with Meyers Leonard and Evan Turner being corner stone signings? Yeah… 😦

2. Free Agents: Who Stays? Nurkic, Ed Davis, Planet Pat and Shabazz will be up in free agency. Restricted or not, there is no way we can see Portland keeping Shabazz. He played himself into a bigger contract in the middle of last season and what can he do that Wade Baldwin can’t provide? I know Baldwin can provide defense needed on guards in the West. Shabazz just isn’t worth it.

Nurkic should resign for around Meyers Leonard money. Yeah that just got typed. That would be a solid deal for Portland as they would keep a developing big man who shows decent promise and remember folks, has had only ONE minor knee surgery and is still 23… There just aren’t other options out there unless a trade comes up.

Ed Davis endeared himself to us. God bless him. We need more of him. Please Ed when you read this because this article will be everywhere in about 890 years, please remember that you resigned with us until you retire. Ed is 28 this year.

Planet Pat should be a keeper if Olshey is. He has history of falling in love with his draft picks but Pat is a solid bench player who has only gotten better and could be a great piece moving forward.

3. Zach Collins Development. Will Zach take the next step? He is already well ahead of schedule and can’t even drink yet. Some people have thrown out that he could be our starting 4. Making Aminu or Harkless expendable in a trade deal. News flash we are NEVER going to get a trade offer for Turner that isn’t breaking up CJ and Dame. Alas, back to Zach. He showed great hunger, hustle and offensive skill that was a huge surprise to most. He had the defensive end length and will just need to add strength. But the key for him this summer will be his post up game and body. If the post up game improves with the same trajectory his shooting has, Rip City, we are in for a treat for years to come…